Kingston NV3 Prices — May 2026
QLC NAND • 3yr warranty
QLC NAND • 3yr warranty
QLC NAND • 3yr warranty
Specs
| Spec | NV3 500GB | NV3 1TB | NV3 2TB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4 | ||
| Sequential Read | 6,000 MB/s | ||
| Sequential Write (burst) | 4,000 MB/s | 5,000 MB/s | 5,000 MB/s |
| Sequential Write (sustained) | ~600 MB/s | ~800 MB/s | ~900 MB/s |
| NAND Type | QLC (Quad-Level Cell) | ||
| DRAM Cache | No (HMB — Host Memory Buffer) | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | 300 | 450 | 600 |
| Warranty | 3 years | ||
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 (2230 available) | ||
| Controller | Phison E21T | ||
| PS5 Compatible | Yes (6,000 MB/s > 5,500 MB/s minimum) | ||
| Current Price | $39.99 | $69.99 | $119.99 |
| Price per TB | $79.99 | $69.99 | $59.99 |
Two things worth noting in that table: no DRAM cache, and sustained write speeds that are way below the burst numbers. Those aren't bugs or oversights — that's just what QLC drives do. The question is whether it matters for your use case.
The QLC Question
The NV3 uses QLC (Quad-Level Cell) NAND. Every marketing comparison will mention this, usually making it sound catastrophic. Here's what it actually means.
QLC stores 4 bits per NAND cell instead of TLC's 3. More data per cell = cheaper to manufacture, lower endurance per cell. The NV3 2TB is rated 600 TBW. For context: if you write 40GB per day (heavy gaming, installs, updates), you'd hit 600 TBW in 15,000 days — 41 years. The 3-year warranty is what will expire first, not the NAND.
The real limitation is sustained write speed. QLC drives use a small portion of the NAND as a fast SLC write cache. While data is writing into that cache, speeds are good (4,000–5,000 MB/s). When the cache fills, the drive has to write directly to QLC cells, which is slow: ~600–900 MB/s sustained.
Sustained write speed after cache fills. For gaming installs (typically 5–50GB chunks), the cache rarely fills completely — the slowdown is most noticeable copying 100GB+ files continuously.
For gaming: the SLC cache on the 2TB NV3 is roughly 20–40GB. A typical game install is 10–80GB. You might clip the edge of the cache on large installs, but mostly you won't. The drive will feel fast for everyday use.
For video editing or large backups: this matters. If you're regularly moving 100GB+ of footage, the 900 MB/s sustained write speed is a real bottleneck. Spend $20 more and get the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB.
Kingston NV3 vs Samsung 990 Pro
| Spec | Kingston NV3 2TB | Samsung 990 Pro 2TB |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential Read | 6,000 MB/s | 7,450 MB/s |
| Sequential Write (burst) | 5,000 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s |
| Sequential Write (sustained) | ~900 MB/s | ~3,500 MB/s |
| NAND | QLC | Samsung TLC |
| DRAM Cache | No (HMB) | Yes |
| TBW | 600 | 1,200 |
| Warranty | 3 years | 5 years |
| Price | $119.99 | $139.99 |
| Price per TB | $59.99 | $70.00 |
The NV3 wins on price. The 990 Pro wins on everything else. The question is whether those advantages are worth $20 for your specific use case.
Pay the $20 for the 990 Pro if: You do video editing, large file transfers, run a NAS, or want a 5-year warranty on a machine you plan to keep long-term.
Save the $20 with the NV3 if: Gaming PC, office laptop upgrade, secondary drive for media storage, or any build where you're reading far more than writing.
Kingston NV3 for PS5
It works. 6,000 MB/s clears Sony's 5,500 MB/s minimum. The NV3 2TB at $119.99 is the cheapest PS5-compatible 2TB NVMe available right now — $20 less than the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB.
You will need a heatsink; PS5 requires one and Kingston doesn't include one. Budget $12–18 for a compatible M.2 heatsink. The NV3 is available in M.2 2230 format too, which matters for Steam Deck users (the standard 2280 won't fit the Deck).
PS5 writes frequently during gameplay (save states, shader caches, temp files). Over a 5-year console lifecycle, you'll accumulate more TBW than a typical PC gaming drive. The 600 TBW on the NV3 2TB is adequate for average use, but if you play 4–6 hours daily, it's worth considering the 990 Pro's 1,200 TBW rating instead.
Who Should Buy the Kingston NV3
Best fit: gaming PC builder on a budget. You're not saturating the write cache with gaming installs. The drive will feel fast for loading times, file browsing, and system responsiveness. Save $20 and put it toward a better GPU.
Good fit: laptop upgrade from HDD. Even QLC at 6,000 MB/s is 30–40× faster random I/O than a hard drive. The experience improvement is enormous regardless of NAND type.
Good fit: secondary storage drive. If this is a data drive (games library, media storage), sustained write speed matters less. Reads dominate, and the NV3 handles those fine.
Bad fit: video editing workstation. You'll hit the write cache ceiling constantly. The extra $20 for the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB ($139.99) with TLC NAND is a much better call for professional work.
Bad fit: if you write a lot of data daily. 450 TBW on the 1TB is 450,000GB total write capacity. At 100GB/day (serious professional workload), that's 4,500 days — still 12 years. This isn't actually a bad fit for most people, but benchmark enthusiasts will tell you it is.
Methodology
Prices pulled from Amazon US, May 4, 2026. Sustained write numbers are based on published specifications and third-party testing data; we don't run our own hardware tests. Prices change — verify before buying. Product links are affiliate links; we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.